Shooting Our Mouths Off

Things came full circle in Minneapolis when the band returned to First Avenue, a stage they last graced during the U.S. Laid tour in the spring of 1994. Rich in history and cultural weight, the legendary venue has long been a cornerstone of the city’s music scene, hosting an array of iconic local and national acts.

Notably, it was among the first clubs in Minneapolis to welcome Black performers during an era of widespread segregation. It also served as the home stage for hometown hero Prince and earned cinematic immortality as a central setting in his 1984 film, Purple Rain.

VIP soundcheck guests were treated to a rare surprise as the band unveiled two songs absent from the tour setlists so far – ‘All the Colours of You’ and ‘The Lake’. The latter, a fan favourite that narrowly missed inclusion on Laid, has only ever surfaced at the band’s orchestral shows.

Opening the night with a strong nod to Laid, the band packed seven tracks from the album into the first set. They kicked things off with ‘One of the Three’, ‘Say Something’, ‘Five-O’, and ‘Lullaby’, before shifting gears for the sole Yummy track of the evening, ‘Way Over Your Head’.

‘Waltzing Along’ brought the biggest surge of energy, paired with the equally euphoric ‘Beautiful Beaches’. As the set moved toward the interval, the band eased into ‘Out to Get You’ – a slower moment on paper, but far from subdued. With Saul tearing through the extended outro on violin, the performance was anything but quiet.

‘Skindiving’ continues to hold its place as the second set opener, setting the tone with brooding intensity. The real surprise of the set came with ‘Don’t Wait That Long’ – a song teased at recent VIP soundchecks but not performed at a full show since Seattle in 2019. Also making a welcome return was ‘Curse Curse’, last heard on the tour’s opening night in Atlanta.

The night closed with a high-octane trio – ‘Born of Frustration’, ‘Sometimes’, and ‘Laid’. While ‘Laid’ provided the raucous finale, it was ‘Sometimes’ that truly stole the spotlight, as Tim invited fans from the crowd to join the band onstage, turning the moment into a communal celebration.